Jon Stewart rips Sandberg and the Phanatic, later apologizes

Posted by Stephen Gross | May 22, 2014 at 12:19 PM

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg was the topic of one of comedian Jon Stewart's tongue-in-cheek rants on Comedy Central's The Daily Show Tuesday night.

Stewart began by playing news clips detailing Sandberg's Shake Shack incident last week at Citi Field before accusing Sandberg of slandering the New York-based chain (he wasn't the first to poke fun at the event). While asking if the manager would rather have a cheesesteak, Stewart mentions Sandberg's "athletic career and integrity have never been questioned."

Stewart goes on to criticize cream cheese, the art museum and the Phillie Phanatic. At one point, however, Stewart begins to laugh and whispers he actually loves cheesesteaks.

Wednesday evening, Stewart, a Mets fan, started his show off by issuing an apology.

He begins by bringing up when Philadelphia fans threw snowballs at Santa Claus but says "I hurt some people that I care about very much, including one, Phillip E. Phanatic. Phillie, they call him."

Stewart also mocks Mr. Met in his apology, saying someone with a baseball for a head shouldn't take a job where he's surrounded by bats and that it "seems like a recipe for trouble."

You can watch both videos below, but a warning, while they aired on cable TV with many obscenities bleeped out, some may still find these clips inappropriate. Skip to the 4:10 mark of the first video to see Stewart's remarks about Sandberg, the Phanatic and Philadelphia. The apology begins immediately in the second clip.